Page 77 of The Memory Wood

‘Yes.’ Then, as if convinced she’s going to renege on their deal, his voice rises in pitch. ‘Youpromised! You said if I got hold of a phone, if I brought it down here, that you’d—’

She holds up her good hand. ‘Elijah, it’s fine. We might need to check a few things first. And we might have to download some software, but as long as you have the password, we can—’

‘Password?’

‘Yeah, the—’

‘What’re you talking about?’

‘Sometimes people put passwords on their phones, to stop other people from snooping.’

‘How do we get the password?’

‘You’d have to ask the person who owns the phone.’ She pauses. ‘Can you do that?’

‘No!’

Elissa’s guts twist like a dishcloth. ‘Well, if it isn’t locked, we won’t need one. Not everybody bothers.’

‘How do we check?’

‘Hold it up,’ she tells him. ‘Show me the screen.’

Elijah does as he’s asked. Again, the blue light appears between them, as if the lid’s been opened of a box filled with magic. Elissa tries desperately to focus. Her vision jumpsand pulls. Finally, from liquid threads of colour, an image begins to solidify.

The phone is an iPhone; one of the older models. The screen’s a little scratched, but it’s working well enough. Instead of a password request, it’s showing a neat grid of apps.

IV

If there was ever a time to develop a poker face, it’s now. Trying to appear disinterested, Elissa considers her options.

‘So,’ Elijah says. ‘What do we do?’

‘Go to the App Store,’ she tells him, then blinks. ‘Sorry. I forgot this is new. You’re looking for a blue square with a white A. The A stands for “App”. It’s where we’ll find the chess programme.’

Elijah hunches forward. ‘I have it.’

‘Give it a press.’

The quality of the blue light changes, and she knows he’s in. ‘Do you see a little magnifying glass?’

‘Yes.’

‘Beside it, there should be a blank space.’

‘Got it.’

‘OK, type into it the—’

‘How?’

‘Just touch the box. That should bring up a keyboard.’

The light changes colour yet again. ‘What do I type?’

‘Chess. Then press the button that says “search”.’

As he concentrates, Elijah’s breath whistles in his nose.

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